Senate Confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court

By Keith Boykin

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the nation's first Black woman on the Supreme Court.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the nation's first Black woman to serve in that capacity, presided over the Senate chamber during the final debate, as three Republicans joined all 50 Democrats to give Jackson a seat on the court by a vote of 53-47.

Democrats cheered and applauded the vote announcement while most Republicans quickly fled the Senate chamber.

Jackson received more votes (53-47) for her confirmation than current Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett (52-48), Brett Kavanaugh (50-48), or Clarence Thomas (52-48) received for their nominations.

But one vote she did not receive was that of Senator Tim Scott, a Black Republican from South Carolina. Scott voted no on the historic nomination of the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, while three of his white Republican colleagues — Mitt Romney, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — voted in favor of Jackson’s confirmation.